Health

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has rolled out a new video tutorial aimed at helping veterans file disability compensation benefits claims online. The tutorial tells veterans how they can learn about and apply for benefits earned using... Read More

WASHINGTON — Supreme Court justices, both conservative and liberal, appeared skeptical Wednesday of a Trump administration argument that the federal Clean Water Act should not apply to sewage plant wastewater that flows into the ground and eventually seeps into federally... Read More

WASHINGTON — Absent action by Congress in the next three weeks, Dr. Michael Waldrum, CEO of Vidant Health, is going to have to figure out what medical services to deny hard-pressed communities in rural eastern North Carolina. “It runs the... Read More

HAMBURG, Germany — Every now and then, Katie West considers returning to the United States. She moved to Germany for graduate school three years ago and now works as a health systems researcher in Hamburg. Her family is an ocean... Read More

A federal judge blocked an Alabama abortion ban Tuesday that would have made the procedure a felony at any stage of pregnancy in almost all cases. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson, who was appointed to the bench by President Jimmy... Read More

COLUMBUS, Ohio — When Ohio doled out medical marijuana dispensary licenses, state officials took location into account. The idea was to grant licenses to a geographically diverse set of applicants so all patients, regardless of their hometown, had access to... Read More

When Dr. Worta McCaskill-Stevens made an appointment for a mammogram last year, she expected a simple breast cancer screening — not a heavy-handed sales pitch. A receptionist asked if she wanted a free upgrade to a “3D mammogram,” or tomosynthesis.... Read More

HAMBURG, Germany — Researchers around the world hail Germany for its robust health care system: universal coverage, plentiful primary care, low drug prices and minimal out-of-pocket costs for residents. Unlike in the U.S., the prospect of a large medical bill... Read More

WASHINGTON - Accustomed as they are to believing government can do a great deal of good for a great many, serious Democrats have grown increasingly concerned over the potential long-term ramifications of Medicare for all proposals. While it's easy --... Read More

WASHINGTON - A quartet of House Democrats want to see Medicare Part B coverage expanded to include routine vision benefits. Right now, Medicare only covers surgery and screenings for people who are at a high risk of getting cataracts and... Read More

WASHINGTON - Rep. Max Rose hosted a roundtable for seniors in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Saturday to bring them up to speed on his proposal to lower prescription drug prices. Rose met with members of AARP Bay Ridge Chapter 3630 to... Read More

WASHINGTON - Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., wants $10 billion allocated to the National Institutes of Health over the next 10 years as a catalyst for medical cures and scientific breakthroughs. The Biomedical Innovation Expansion Act introduced last week by Spanberger... Read More

The governors of five northeastern states came together for a summit on Thursday to discuss the outlines of a joint regional approach to cannabis and vaping policies. "This issue is complicated, controversial and consequential. It is probably one of the... Read More

PHILADELPHIA — When Paul Bagga was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer that soon spread to his brain, the nonsmoker was devastated and terrified. More than five years later, the Flourtown retiree, 67, is going strong, thanks to participating in clinical... Read More

WASHINGTON - If Democrats want to hold their majority in House in 2020 they'll focus on core issues important to their constituents like protecting healthcare coverage, fighting corruption, and expanding economic opportunity, according to a new analysis by Third Way,... Read More

WASHINGTON - A House subcommittee has advanced bipartisan legislation sponsored by Rep. Antonio Delgado, D-N.Y., that would require the EPA to list a dangerous class of compounds known as PFAS chemicals on its Toxics Release Inventory. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances,... Read More

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump traveled to The Villages, a retirement community of 125,000 residents north of Orlando, to tout a plan to "save" Medicare, but House Democrats quickly panned the president, his plan and his rhetoric. The central theme... Read More

This year's term begins Monday, Oct. 7, and will extend into late June, encompassing the presidential primaries and ending just before the Republicans and Democrats host their presidential nominating conventions. As always, one can expect the Justices' statements from the... Read More

WASHINGTON – Representative Cindy Axne, D-Iowa, led a group of freshman House Democrats in introducing legislation to protect Americans from "surprise bills" due to out-of-date insurance directors. The UPDATE Act requires insurance companies to regularly update their provider directories to... Read More

WASHINGTON - Every year, as reliably as the start of Major League Baseball's playoffs, and the arrival of multi-colored fall foliage, the U.S. Supreme Court returns in October to tackle 70 to 80 of the nation's toughest legal questions. This... Read More

Reps. Donna Shalala, D-Fla., and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., introduced the Expanding Cannabis Research and Information Act, bipartisan legislation that would facilitate research into the potential medical benefits and public health impacts of marijuana.  The bill would develop a national... Read More

Freshman Rep. Anthony Brindisi, a member of the bipartisan Women Veterans Task Force, has introduced legislation to mandate accessibility for women at the VA’s healthcare call center. Brindisi’s legislation, H.R. 2972, would statutorily require the Veterans Affairs Women Veterans Call... Read More

WASHINGTON - The number of U.S. military installations contaminated with potentially cancer-causing chemical compounds found in firefighting foam is expected to rise as a Defense Department task force continues to assess the problem, the Pentagon said last week. During a... Read More

WASHINGTON - The New Democrat Coalition on Tuesday endorsed a pair of bills intended to stabilize the Affordable Care Act while expanding health care coverage and driving down insurance costs for more Americans. Both bills were put forward by the... Read More

WASHINGTON - Representative Stephanie Murphy announced the University of Central Florida will receive $494,412 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to combat the opioid epidemic in central Florida. The funds will be used by the university... Read More

A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a Missouri law banning abortions after eight weeks, one of the most restrictive proposals nationwide. The law, which included no exceptions for rape and incest, was signed by Republican Gov. Mike Parson in... Read More

WASHINGTON - Senate Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley, R- Iowa, is expected to mount a full-court, bipartisan press to see that legislation lowering prescription drug prices is passed before the end of the year. Chairman Grassley recently met with Senate Health... Read More

WASHINGTON - Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has completed three weeks of radiation treatment for a cancerous tumor discovered on her pancreas in July, the Supreme Court announced Friday. According to the statement, the tumor was discovered after a... Read More

WASHINGTON - A majority of large employers believe the Medicare for all proposals being touted by some White House aspirants would lower the number of uninsured in the United States, but at a cost of higher taxes and a decline... Read More

WASHINGTON - Representatives John Katko and Anthony Brindisi have launched a bipartisan effort to hold the international commission that manages outflows from Lake Ontario accountable for recent historic flooding. Katko, a Republican, and Brindisi, a Democrat, have gotten the Government... Read More